Budding biotechnologists of T.John College in support of the governments decision to put Bt Brinjal on hold
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A landmark decision was taken on Wednesday the 10th of February by the Union minister of Environment and Forestry; keeping in mind all the stake holders to strike a balance between producers, consumers , the Centre and the State to put a moratorium on bt Brinjal. Was the decision justified? Could the govt. have been bold enough to support the cause of science and technology and not taken an emotional stand to support the public sentiment? To look into it a group of biotechnologists from T.John college had organized a Panel Discussion , it was apart of the awareness camp organized for its students, who need to be made more conscious about the current scenario in the field of biotechnology such that their thoughtful opinion could make a noise on the burning issue.
At the very outset a poll was conducted which showed about 60% of the students were for the decision and 40% against . The chairperson of the panel discussion looked into the mater form the eyes of a layman such that all queries pertaining to bt Brinjal could be addressed and clarified by the faculties who were the panelists. The group talked about the history of GM crops , the choice of Brinjal over other food crops , the cloning strategies followed, the committees whose approval is needed before release of a new variety and the endorsement of a new variety, the biosafety tests conducted, the ecological and social impact and the huge political outcry. To summarize the panel concluded that in India which sustains on an agricultural economy taking a hasty decision could be detrimental to the economic health of the nation as history says that Bt cotton introduced before this had not benefited the farmers. More importantly the number of foreign genes introduced into the brinjal is far more than only bacillus thuringiensis its ecological impact needs to be closely looked at. Not all biosafety tests were conducted for the variety. Thus it was not justified to push the case and make a hasty decision. The group supported the moratorium on bt Brinjal, as science is not just about abstract ideas in the laboratory it has to undergo field tests to prove its efficacy. The early release could make the public, gunie pigs. They also looked into the political motive behind the decision and were supportive of the government on the ‘go slow’ policy. The discussion was followed by a debate by the students at the end of which a poll was conducted again to check the impact of the discussion and the results showed a clear sweep and the house was 80% in favor of the governments decision.